Worldwide: Aviation

The legal framework for civil unmanned aircraft operations over the high seas remains unresolved, creating a fundamental threshold issue for operators planning routes beyond 12 nautical miles offshore. While domestic statutory flexibilities exist, the Chicago Convention and ICAO Annex 2 requirements present compliance challenges that differ significantly from traditional crewed aviation.

As air cargo providers face mounting supply chain pressures and capacity constraints, many are turning to property brokers to arrange regulated surface transportation—a shift that introduces complex security compliance challenges and significant enforcement risks.

Recent policy developments highlight a growing convergence between government priorities and commercial space capabilities. Congressional action in the FY 2027 NDAA is preserving key satellite programs while pushing the Space Force toward greater reliance on commercial data and services.

Last October, our team highlighted the tension between the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994 (the “Act”), and state-based negligence hiring claims against transportation brokers.

This is one in a series of GT Alerts examining the president’s FY 2027 budget request to Congress, breaking down the president’s budget for the Department of War (part 1). Part 2 focuses on the U.S. Army’s FY 2027...

On April 3, 2026, the White House released its budget request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2027, proposing a historic $1.5 trillion in total defense spending.

On March 24, 2026, the Office of Space Commerce (OSC) at the Department of Commerce (Commerce) published a proposed process to authorize novel space activities not currently or directly addressed by existing regulatory frameworks (Proposal).

By the time you read this, the Artemis II mission will be roughly 5,000 miles from the Moon – nearly the distance between Los Angeles and Tokyo. There were many august quotes before and after last week’s Artemis II launch, but an unidentified boy interviewed by CNN...

On April 1, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) released a Public Notice (DA 26-314) seeking comment on ways in which it can unleash American drone dominance through enabling American unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and anti-drone defense systems (Counter-UAS). This Public Notice follows the Commission’s action in December 2025 that added all foreign-produced UAS and UAS critical components to the FCC’s Covered List.